HAPPY FRIDAY everyone! It has been a long time indeed! Having been moving houses (with millions of boxes!) and doing house chores for 2 solid weeks mean my nails are at their worse condition ever! So no NOTD for a while for me! boohoo! My nourishing base coat is still hiding somewhere 😦

Anyway, I have a toner review for you today. I have been using toner lotions since I was a teen, my first favourite toner was Liz Earle Skin Tonic (back in those QVC days!!). I have had many great finds to some down right “good for nothing” ones!! I have combination oily skin and slightly sensitive during Winter, so I generally would look for alcohol free toner that is moisturising, hydrating and skin calming.

Toner is a very important part of my daily skincare routine, I clean my face and neck with my cleanser then follow by a toner before applying serum/moisturiser, twice a day. I rely on my toner to remove the last traces of makeup since I wear makeup 5 days a week just to go to work :p I won’t blah on and on about why toner is a must, I will do that later 😉

After finishing my 3rd bottle of Elemis Soothing Apricot toner around November last year, I thought I will give other brands a try. I’ve picked this Lancôme Tonique douceur from Debenhams while it was on promotion around Christmas time.

To me, Christmas is one of the best times to pick up any beauty and skincare products (and stock up!). I hardly buy products at their normal RRP, products being on discount or offers fools you into thinking you have saved yourself some dosh and/or getting a great bargain!

Beauty sales associates get me every time with this type of sales pitch: “Before this amazing offer the product would have cost £50 for 10ml, now with this offer you can get a massive 15ml for the same price! That’s 50% FREE! Saving yourself £25!”

OK OK I am trying hard NOT to fell for it again :p

Lancôme Tonique Douceur, toner review @iamcherrylemon

My expectations on the product

“Gentle refresher that is alcohol free, hydrates and brightens skin”

Noticing it being alcohol free(!) which is a BIG must for me and it being very gentle on skin. Secretly, I was hoping that it will do what Elemis Apricot toner would do for me; calming, refreshing, remove last traces of makeup etc. This toner is recommended for normal to combination skin, as it contains plant extracts, it claims to gently tones and refines skin texture, removes last traces of make-up and impurities.

The product low downs
The bottle itself is £22.50 for 200ml, it is on the pricier side for any toner!! But it does claim to do alot!

It does have a light pleasant scent to it, not overpowering and hence not bothering me too much. If you are sensitive, please patch test before trying on your skin!

What it can do/has done: Remove last traces of makeup; refresh skin with no tight-feeling on skin

What it hasn’t really done I hoped it would: Brightens skin, hydrates skin and make my pore looks refined/smaller?! But it didn’t happen for me…

Okie, you might have guessed. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it.

Yes, that’s about it, unfortunately 😦 these can be achieved by other toners of lesser value. My skin doesn’t look and feel much different after using it, and I have been using this twice a day for months now. I have used about 120ml in 14 to 15 weeks… so in theory, this 200ml bottle should last me 4 to 5 months!? Because it is not working for me, I just want to finish it so I can crack open another bottle of toner :p

Price: 1 of 5, £22.50 for 200ml (unfortunately, for what it can do for me, I cannot justify the price to get another bottle)

Value: 1.5 of 5

Ease of use: 4 of 5, you only need very little for your whole face

Availability: All major department stores, inc Boots online

Overall: 2 of 5

Do you use toner regularly? What do you look for in a toner? Which toner(s) are your favourite 😀

Thank you for dropping by and reading this! Until then, have a lovely weekend 🙂

I love the dermalogica toners and best of all they are spray form so I don’t need cottons and the spray makes me feel really refreshed. Just a few pumps last me months! It’s more pricey (27e) however I bought the last one in sept although I need to buy the next one soon its still really good value. Steph x